Theoretical Background and
Instructional Strategies of the CDMT
Theoretical Background for CDMT
The CDMT is based on the Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) theory. CIP theory was
developed through the joint efforts of a group of researchers at the FSU Career Center’s Center
for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development. This theory is an emergent
career theory, designed to examine how individuals engage in career problem solving and
decision-making. In particular, CIP theory describes career decision-making like a recipe, which
involves several ingredients as well as a process for integrating these ingredients to come out
with an end product. Two diagrams that help to illustrate this process are the Pyramid of
Information Processing and The CASVE Cycle.
The information processing domains related to career decision-making and job placement can be
conceptualized as a pyramid (Figure 1). Within these domains are exploratory questions for the
individual to contemplate.
Executive Processing
Domain
Meta
Cognitions
Thinking about
my decision
making
Decision- Making
Skills Domain
CASVE Cycle
Knowing how I
make decisions
Self Knowledge
Occupation
Knowledge
Knowing about
myself
Knowing about
my options
Knowledge
Domain
Figure 1 Pyramid of Information Processing Domains in Career Decision-making
Adapted from: Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., & Reardon, R. C. (1992). A cognitive approach to
career services: Translating concepts into practice. Career Development Quarterly, 41, 67-74. Copyright © National
Career Development Association. Used with permission.
AMERICA’S CAREER RESOURCE NETWORK:
CAREER DECISION-MAKING TOOL
1
Knowledge Domain
 Self Knowledge
o What are my values, interests, and skills?
o What are my job preferences?
o What am I looking for in an occupation or a program of study?
 Occupational Knowledge
o What kind of job can I get with my education and experience?
o What is a typical day for a person employed as a _____?
o What are the educational and training requirements for _____?
o How can employers be categorized?
o How is the world of work organized?
Decision-Making Skills Domain
 Generic Information Processing Skills
o What are the steps in choosing an occupation, program of study, or job that will meet
my needs?
o How do I usually make important decisions?
Executive Processing Domain
 Metacognitions
o Self-talk “I’ll never be able to make a good career choice.”
o Self-awareness “I’m getting very scared about this.”
o Monitoring and control “I need help in making this choice.”
Problem solving and decision-making can be conceptualized in terms of the CASVE cycle. The
five stages of this cycle (Figure 2) include Communication, Analysis, Synthesis, Valuing, and
Execution.
Figure 2 CASVE Cycle
Adapted from Career Development and Services: A Cognitive Approach by G. W. Peterson, J. P. Sampson, and R.
C. Reardon. Copyright ©1991 Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, a division of
International Thomson Publishing, Inc. Used with permission.
AMERICA’S CAREER RESOURCE NETWORK:
CAREER DECISION-MAKING TOOL
2
Communication
In this first stage of the cycle, the individual communicates both within themselves through self
assessment and reflective thinking, and with others in their life. The purpose of this
communication is to identify the gap between where they are now and where they would like to
be in the future through analyzing internal and external cues.
 Internal cues
o Emotions — “I’m scared about committing myself.”
o Avoidance behavior — "I'll get started next week."
o Physiological — “I’m so upset about this, I can’t eat”
 External cues
o Event — “I’m getting ready to graduate and I don’t know what I will do after
that.”
o Significant other — “My parents really want me to make a decision about where I
will go to college and what I will major in.”
Analysis
The focus of this stage is for the individual to learn more about themselves, their decisionmaking, and the world-of-work. This is done through analyzing personal experience and
information obtained from assessments and the use of a CIDS.
 Enhance self-knowledge
o Values
o Interests
o Skills
o Employment preferences
 Enhance occupational knowledge
o Knowledge of individual occupations, programs of study, or jobs
o Knowledge of the structure of the world-of-work (occupations, programs of study,
or jobs)
 Generic information processing skills
o Personal decision-making style
 Metacognitions
o Self-talk — “I need to make a decision.”
o Self-awareness — “I’m uneasy about this whole process.”
o Control and monitoring — “What information do I need to know about myself
and my situation so that I am prepared to make a decision?”
Synthesis
This stage assists the individual in expanding the list of possible career options and then refining
this list to 3-5 alternatives. This is done by synthesizing all of the information derived in the prior
2 stages, and then using this information while considering the list of options.
 Elaboration
o Identify the maximum number of potential alternatives
 Crystallization
o Narrow potential occupations, programs of study, or jobs to a manageable number
of options (3-5)
AMERICA’S CAREER RESOURCE NETWORK:
CAREER DECISION-MAKING TOOL
3
Valuing
This fourth stage of the cycle is evaluating the costs and benefits of each alternative to:
 Oneself
 Significant others (e.g. family)
 Cultural group
 Community and/or society at large
Through this, the individual will prioritize their alternatives to make tentative primary and
secondary choices.
Execution
The purpose of this stage is to formulate a plan for implementing a tentative choice:
 Preparation program (formal education/training experience)
 Reality testing (full-time, part-time, and/or volunteer work experience, as well as taking
courses or training)
 Employment seeking (steps to apply for and get a job)
Communication
By reviewing external demands and internal states during this stage, the individual will learn if
their tentative choice is the right one for them.
 Has the gap been closed?
 Have the negative emotions and physiological states been replaced by feelings of
serenity?
 Am I taking action to achieve my goal?
From Theory to Practice in the CDMT
The different steps within CDMT are based on the CASVE Cycle decision-making process. Each
step in the decision-making cycle is presented as an individual module of instruction.
Furthermore, the CDMT breaks out the phases of Communication into two separate steps, the
first to engage the learner in the decision-making process, and the second (which is the last stage
of the decision-making process) to encourage learners to reflect on the process and the decisions
they made.
As such, the steps followed in the CDMT for career decision-making include:
 Communication: Knowing I Need to Make a Choice
 Analysis: Understanding Myself and My Options
 Synthesis: Expanding and Narrowing My List of Options
 Valuing: Choosing an Occupation, Program of Study, or Job
 Execution: Implementing My Choice
 Communication: Knowing I Made a Good Choice
AMERICA’S CAREER RESOURCE NETWORK:
CAREER DECISION-MAKING TOOL
4
Figure 3 CASVE CASVE Cycle as Applied to Career Decision-Making
Adapted from: Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., & Reardon, R. C. (1992). A cognitive approach to
career services: Translating concepts into practice. Career Development Quarterly, 41, 67-74. Copyright © National
Career Development Association. Used with permission.
To simplify the CASVE Cycle, making it more user friendly for young learners, and to better
facilitate instruction about the career decision-making process, the CASVE Cycle is known in
the CDMT as the “Decision Cycle.” As many of the terms of the CASVE Cycle were identified
as difficult for younger learners to understand, the stages of the CASVE Cycle have been
translated into a simpler, 6th grade vocabulary in the Decision Cycle (Table 1). Furthermore, a
new graphic was developed to represent the changes made for the Decision Cycle (Figure 4).
Table 1: Translation of Terms from CASVE Cycle to CDMT’s Decision Cycle
CASVE Cycle
Decision Cycle
Meaning
Communication
Engaging
Knowing I Need to Make a Choice
Analysis
Understanding
Understanding Myself and My Options
Synthesis
Identifying
Expanding and Narrowing My List of Options
Valuing
Deciding
Choosing an Occupation, Program of Study, or Job
Execution
Acting
Implementing My Choice
Communication
Reflecting
Knowing I Made a Good Choice
AMERICA’S CAREER RESOURCE NETWORK:
CAREER DECISION-MAKING TOOL
5
References
Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., & Reardon, R. C. (1991). Career development and services:
A cognitive approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., Jr., Lenz, J. G., & Reardon, R. C. (2002). A cognitive
information processing approach to career problem solving and decision making. In D.
Brown (Ed.), Career choice and development (4th. Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Reardon, R. C., Lenz, J. G., Sampson, J. P., Jr., & Peterson, G. W. (2006). Career development
and planning: A comprehensive approach, (2nd Ed). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Lenz, J. G., & Reardon, R. C. (1992). A cognitive approach
to career services: Translating concepts into practice. The Career Development
Quarterly, 41, 67-74.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Peterson, G. W., Reardon, R. C., & Lenz, J. G. (2000). Using readiness
assessment to improve career services: A cognitive information processing approach. The
Career Development Quarterly, 49, 146-174.
Sampson, J. P., Jr., Reardon, R. C., Peterson, G. W., & Lenz, J. G. (2004). Career counseling
and services: A cognitive information processing approach. Pacific Grove, CA:
Brooks/Cole.
For more information about the theory and instructional strategies used in
developing the Web-based CDMT, please contact:
Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development
The Career Center
Gary W. Peterson, Ph.D.
gpeterson@admin.fsu.edu.
Suite A4100
James P. Sampson, Jr., Ph.D. jsampson@admin.fsu.edu
University Center
Robert C. Reardon, Ph. D.
rreardon@admin.fsu.edu
Florida State University
Janet G. Lenz, Ph. D.
jlenz@admin.fsu.edu
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2490
Learning Systems Institute
Learning Systems Institute
adarabi@lsi.fsu.edu
A. Aubteen Darabi, Ph. D.
4600C University Center
Debra L. O’Connor, Ph. D. doconnor@lpg.fsu.edu
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2540
AMERICA’S CAREER RESOURCE NETWORK:
CAREER DECISION-MAKING TOOL
6